


Educating Love

by agronsies, klainesdalton (agronsies)



Series: Fostering Love [2]
Category: Glee
Genre: College, Faberry, Fluff, Klaine, M/M, Multi, Original Character(s), Roommates, Suspense, angst kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:15:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 15,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23143753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agronsies/pseuds/agronsies, https://archiveofourown.org/users/agronsies/pseuds/klainesdalton
Summary: An intense heart-break leads an ambitious Kurt Hummel into looking for love in the big city. When he discovers his old lover has the same idea, things don't go well.Part 2 of the Fostering Love series.
Relationships: Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel, Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray
Series: Fostering Love [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1663513
Comments: 46
Kudos: 14





	1. College Acceptance

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel to my first fic, Fostering Love. I really hope you enjoy!!

A knock was heard on Burt's bedroom door. It was an eager knock, and he knew exactly who it was and what it was about.

"Dad! My letter came!" Kurt bounced up and down.

"Son, open it!" Burt urged his son.

"I'm nervous..." Kurt admitted. "This is pretty big dad..."

"Listen son, you are the most amazing person I know. You've been through a whole load of rough times, but through those hard times, you've still managed to make me a proud father. And I want you to know whatever is in that letter, you are still my son, I'm proud of you no matter what, and I still love you the same." Burt poured out his feelings.

"Okay dad, I'm opening it." Kurt took a deep breath and ripped into the letter. He eyes, thought about the likelihood of the letter being good news, and he read the contents out loud.

"Dear Mr. Hummel, thank you for your constant co-operation during our long application and admissions process. We are very pleased you have decided to study at NYADA." He started.

"Keep going!" He spurred his son on, rubbing his back in support.

"NYADA features world-class students from all around the world, and we have produced Tony award winners every single year since we opened in 1967. We only take in 30 freshmans every year, so you can understand why our selection process was so rigorous." Kurt said. "You don't say."

"We are so pleased to announce that your application has been accepted and you have been accepted to study Musical Theatre at NYADA. Congatulations! Please see overleaf for comments about your auditions, and we are looking forward to welcoming you to study with us in September. Carmen Tibideaux, Dean of Admissions, NYADA." Kurt stopped. "Oh my god?"

Burt was overcome with joy, so much he ran to his son and gave him the biggest hug. "Son, you did it!"

"I can't believe it! I'm into NYADA!" Kurt beamed. "I was so sure I tanked my dance audition..."

"Stop doubting yourself! You're in!" Burt continued to celebrate. "My son got into NYADA! My son is a NYADA student!"

"Alright dad, don't wear it out!" He picked up his phone. "Rachel got in too! And Quinn's going to NYU! This is incredible!"

"I'm so happy for you son."

"Thank you dad. You never stopped supporting me through the tough times of applying and you encouraged me to apply. I love you so much dad." He leaned in for another big hug.


	2. Moving Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the support on my first fic. Hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Soon enough, it was time for Kurt to move out of his childhood and home and into the big city. He was terrified, and he was moving into a dorm with a strange new roommate, luckily however, his best friends Quinn and Rachel were going to be in New York too, so at least he wasn't going to be alone. But he certainly felt alone.

Unlikely for Kurt, he put off packing his bag for ages, because when he packed up all his clothes it would dawn him that he was leaving his dad, his brother and his step mom behind for his education, but it would definitely help in the long run. And NYADA really had been his dream school ever since he found out about it when they visited New York in Freshman year for a school trip. And to be attending it, all his dreams were coming true. Well, nearly all of them. He still didn't have a boyfriend. Maybe the big city would throw some new boys his way. He wouldn't complain if that did happen.

After a long day of relaxing and texting his friends, Kurt decided he was going to start packing his bag. It was Friday and he was moving out on the Sunday, so he had some time to decide what he wanted to leave behind. Burt was working at the tire shop and Finn was at a football game with Carole, so he had the whole house to himself to blast musical theatre all through the house to get him excited about NYADA. He was still excited, but the initial buzz wore out soon after he found out he got in. Maybe packing his bag would get him more excited.

First he started with his shirts. He owned way too many, but he justified it with the fact they were all for different occasions: Some for casual wear, some for formal wear, and some for when he would go out for the evening... Basically, he did own too many. But it took him ages to figure out which ones to pack and which ones to leave behind. Besides, he could always come home and get more later. He took his favourite casual shirt, a black shirt with an intricate detailing and packed it. He rummaged through his endless stash of formal shirts and found a plain white one and packed that. Under all of his shirts, he found a t-shirt, which he barely wore. 2018 Mid-West Regionals was written right across it and then he realised why he never wore it. Because the duet he sang with a certain person won them the competition. It was ruffled a bit, meaning he had wore it, but not since the incident. But for a piece of hope, he packed it so he could remember being in Glee Club and when everything was good in his life.

After he had decided what shirts, trousers and accessories to pack, his eyes kept reverting back to a bag that was stuffed into his bottom drawer of his side table. He recognised it and his mind sent him back to the day he was given that bag. All was good, and he had just spent a weekend with his best friend, and that bag was a token of appreciation from him. And he knew exactly what was inside. Painful to think about, he drew the bag out and read the note again.

"Dear Kurt. You really are the love of my life. I'm sorry I was so distant. This gift is a symbol that even if I'm 5 hours away, or even at the other end of the country, I'm still right there next to you. And I promise to make the effort to talk to you. I promise to break-up with Theo. And last but not least, I promise to be yours. Only yours. Forever. I love you." He spoke under his breath. That promise wasn't kept, and soon after he had lost complete connection with him, but that didn't mean the Hippo Brooch was redundant. It was an omen for his relationship with boys, when in the box, non-existent, but when he wore it, he would feel confident. And so, from that point onward, he vowed to himself he would wear that Brooch everyday, even if the true meaning did pain him.

-

Moving day arrived and the atmosphere in the Hudson-Hummel household was low. The whole family got up and ate breakfast together and they discussed the plan for the day.

"So we're leaving for the airport at 9am. The flight leaves at 11:20am and we will reach New York at around 1pm, where will go straight to your dorm and help you get unpacked." Burt explained. "Carole, Finn and I have booked a hotel for the week over there so we don't drop you in the deep end right away."

"Throughout the week we'll come and visit you and introduce ourselves to your roommate!" Carole said. "We won't embarrass you..."

"And you'll have to say an extra extended goodbye to me because I'm leaving for Ohio State the day after we leave NY." Finn said. "Extra big hugs for you."

"You haven't said much Kurt." Burt observed. "You alright?"

"I'm so nervous. What if NYADA isn't what I expected? What if my roommate doesn't like me? There's so much-" Kurt expressed his concerns before being interrupted.

"Listen Kurt." Carole got up and hugged Kurt. "You've been dreaming of this for 4 years, and now it's finally here. It's okay to be nervous but you're the most likeable kid I know and your roommate is going to love you! College was the best time in my life- I made so many friends and the lessons were great. And now look, I've got the best job."

"I guess so." Kurt said. "Thanks Carole."

"Eat up! It's almost time to leave!" Burt spurred the family on, as he started packing suitcases into the car.

Soon after, they reached the airport and were all checked in for the flight, and Kurt pulled out his phone and texted Rachel: 'I'm getting on the plane soon. I'll see you on Tuesday.' They were planning to meet up with each other on Tuesday for a much needed catch-up. Being alone in the city was something Kurt didn't want to deal with, so having his best friend (and her girlfriend) there would make everything so much easier. Besides, a little bit of home wouldn't hurt Kurt's new city life.

Boarding the plane, reality struck Kurt, and in 2 hours time, he wold be sitting in his new room and be in a new city. Which was scary, but Kurt held onto his nerves and they didn't take over him, which was what he feared. He relaxed on the plane and the ride was over in no time.

Welcome to New York, Kurt Hummel. Your new life begins here.


	3. Meeting the Roommate

It seemed like Kurt's roommate had already arrived in their dorm when he had arrived shortly after 3pm. He had noticed the bottom bunk was taken so he had to take the top, which was still alright. He had to stay optimistic, or else the reality of moving away would approach him sooner than he planned. 

The room was small- one bunk bed on the left side of the wall, and 2 desks on the other side. One was bare, and one was full of picture frames and stationary, most likely owned by the roommate. At the end of the room was a window and all surrounding the window were cupboards, a tall one each side, most likely closets, and then a few small ones above and below the window. Kurt opened the closet to the left of the window and found it empty, so he put his bag in there to unpack later, and he opened one of the smaller cabinets to be ambushed by falling Ramen packets. Ah, the college dream.

"Wow, a small room." Burt observed as he reached the dorm after getting lost multiple times in the hallway. 

"Yeah." Kurt said, "It's alright though, there's only two of us."

"Looks like your roommate is already here!" Burt said. "Or someone random lives here!" They both laughed.

"Can we go get some food?" Kurt asked. "I'll unpack later."

"Yeah, we need to check into our hotel first, but you can come with us! Make sure you lock your door and you don't lose your key!" Burt exclaimed.

They walked back down to the car and drove 10 minutes down the road to a little motel, where Burt and Carole got out the car with their suitcases and headed into the reception.

A quick lunch date later, Finn and Carole stayed at the motel, and Burt and Kurt headed to the dorm, where the roommate had returned. He was sitting at his desk on his laptop.

"Uh hey. I'm Kurt, I'm your new roommate." Kurt said cautiously.

"Hi Kurt, I'm Aaron. I study Musical Theatre. What do you study?" He asked.

"I study Musical Theatre too." Kurt nodded.

And then there was silence. So Kurt decided to finally unpack his suitcase and put all his clothes and his things in their places in the room. He started with his clothes, and observed the closet wasn't the biggest in the world, and there weren't many clothes hangers, but his many years of using closets meant he had a few tricks up his sleeves. He started with grouping similar shirts together and hanging them up inside each other, and he was soon finished hanging those up. Next, he hung up all his trousers on one hanger each. He had some waistcoats that had to be hung too, and most of his other clothes could simply be folded and placed in a cabinet. He uncovered the Regionals t-shirt and placed it on his bed to sleep in, that way he would always have something reminding him of home.

Burt let his son unpack and he was pleasantly surprised by the organisation skills that he possessed. But all his life his bedroom was always clean, so he really shouldn't have been surprised.

"Kurt I've got to go now, I'll stop by tomorrow alright?" Burt said.

"Okay dad, I love you." Kurt ran and gave his dad a big hug.

After Burt left, Kurt unboxed his self-titled 'Bag of Memories'- full of picture frames, and small things from home than would make him less homesick. He put the picture of his mom on his desk, right in the centre. He then got the picture of the Glee Club and placed it beside his mom, and the multiple other photos he had collected made their way onto the desk. The Hippo Brooch box remained at the bottom of the box, and he kept debating whether or not to take it out or not, so in the end, he took it out the bag but he put it in the drawer of his desk.

For the rest of the day, the room was mainly quiet as Aaron kept himself to himself and Kurt was busy looking through the countless pieces of paperwork that came with the room. He decided to start a conversation.

"So Aaron, where are you from?" Kurt asked harmlessly.

"I'm from Texas." He said. "You?"

"I'm from Ohio. What's your favourite musical?" He tried not to bombard him with questions but he wanted to know more about his roommate.

"I could never choose a favourite, but I love Dear Evan Hansen and Hamilton." He said. "I was Aaron Burr in my high school's production. I was pretty good, not to toot my own horn..."

"Woah. You'll have to show me your insane rapping skills then." Kurt said.

"Do you mind if we stick together on Fresher's Week and stuff? None of my friends came here and I feel kinda lonely here on my own..." Aaron admitted.

"Oh of course, I understand how scary it can be." He smiled.

"Did you come on your own?" He asked.

"No, my best friend and her girlfriend came too. Rachel's studying Musical Theatre and Quinn is at NYU studying acting. We should spend some time together sometime."

"That would be cool, thank you!" Aaron expressed. "Wanna go out for food?"

"Don't you have like 1000 packs of Ramen?" Kurt laughed.

"Oh... so you've uncovered them..." He figured out. "They're all mine! I'm joking, you can have as many as you like."

"Let's have some now to commemorate this new friendship." Kurt got up, and started making 2 packets of Ramen. After they were prepared, he handed one bowl to Aaron and clinked the bowls. "Roomies for life." They both proclaimed.


	4. Meeting with Rachel and Quinn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy self-isolation. My college is letting me stay at home.

The budding friendship between Aaron and Kurt was getting stronger everyday. They would talk for hours about Musicals, and they would watch some together with the extensive collection they could draw together with them both chipping in with DVDs.

On Tuesday, Kurt was due to meet up with Rachel and Quinn and decided to bring Aaron along, just to make him feel more welcome in the big city. They arranged to meet outside a Starbucks, and see some of the big sites, so Kurt made sure to dress appropriately. A perfect way to introduce New York to his fashion sense.

Kurt and Aaron walked out the Dorm building and got the Subway to the Starbucks and they saw Rachel and Quinn holding hands outside the coffee shop.

"Hey Kurt, how are you?" Rachel hugged Kurt. "It's been so long!"

"Hey Rachel, I'm great thanks for asking. This is Aaron my roommate." He signalled Aaron.

"Hi." He said in a cautious tone.

"I'm Quinn, this loud one's girlfriend." Quinn laughed, pulling Rachel toward her. "So, Aaron what do you study?"

"Musical Theatre. I'm excited to start classes. Do you study it too?" Aaron asked.

"I'm studying acting at NYU." Quinn smiled. "Why are we still outside? Let's go in!"

They all walked in, searching the store for a table to sit at. They observed many people in smart business wear typing on their laptops sipping coffee and any families. They found a table and Aaron sat down, telling Kurt his order so he could save the table. The others walked to the counter where they awaited service.

Kurt, Rachel and Quinn soon returned with 4 drinks in paper cups, all with their names written on.

"Wait- before we drink, let's get a cute picture for my Instagram." Rachel said, pulling her phone out. She quickly snapped the picture and then signalled for them to start drinking.

"So Aaron where are you from?" Rachel tried to start a conversation.

"Texas, baby." He tried to make them laugh. "How long have you guys been together?"

"Almost 2 years actually. She's been annoying but we love each other a lot." Quinn blushed and kissed Rachel. "And although we'd love to, we've decided to not live together here because we still need to focus on education and stuff."

"Yeah," Rachel continued. "We might decide to move in at a later date, maybe in the next 2 years, but Freshman year is important for us!"

"Sensible." Kurt approved their decision.

"So, you looking forward to Freshers' Week?" Rachel asked the boys.

"Oh yeah. Can't wait to know my schedule and what classes I'm in." Kurt said.

"I'm just ready for anything that will make me fit in." Aaron admitted.

"We'll take care of you Aaron, don't worry about that." Rachel said.

"Ah, good." He sighed in relief. "If you excuse me, I will go the bathroom."

They all watched him leave the table and Rachel immediately asked a hard-hitting question. "You think he's gay?" 

"Who? Oh, I don't know. And don't you think it would be weird for me to date my roommate?" Kurt wondered. "Plus, I'm not ready for dating yet. Gotta focus on my education."

"You sure about that? You still scarred?" Quinn asked.

Kurt's face said it all really. His mouth drooped and his eyes fell, and he didn't say anything but Quinn knew and respected his wishes to not talk about the incident. Aaron returned from the bathroom shortly after and they decided to leave Starbucks and wander around New York for a while. They stopped off at the Empire State Building and they had to walk down Broadway, just for the pictures. Rachel and Quinn were being the cute couple they were and never let go of each others' hands, only for situations when they needed both hands. Kurt and Aaron walked beside each other and often exchanged looks, but nothing more.

"Want a carriage ride?" Rachel asked, pointing to the horse and carriage in the entrance of Central Park.

"Nah, too romantic for me. I think I should go back to the Dorms. I have to face-time my family soon." Aaron said, beginning to walk away.

"Yeah, I'll go too. You two can have that carriage ride." Kurt smiled. "We'll see you guys soon!"

The boys walked away and caught the Subway back to the dorm building. They decided to stop off at the common room and see what was going on, but nothing took their fancy so they returned to their room.

"So my mom and dad are due to ring me in 10 minutes. I don't mind if you want to stay in the room." Aaron explained.

"No, it's good, I'll sit in the common room and watch some TV." Kurt smiled. He walked downstairs and sat down on one of the chairs and turned his face to the TV, which was playing some type of sport. He looked through the book stash, and then he found a magazine pile and searched through that, hoping there'd be a Vogue one under all them. And there was, so he read that.

After an hour or so, Kurt returned to the dorm and Aaron was no longer talking to his parents, but was sat at his desk sobbing. Kurt debated on whether or not to talk to him, and ultimately decided to talk. Over the next 10 minutes, Aaron opened up about his parents not being very accepting about him wanting to be a Broadway actor, and how he was 'risking his life' studying in New York. Kurt made sure to reassure him that everything was going to be okay and that it will be all fun and games until Aaron becomes the lead in a hit Broadway musical. They hugged and decided to watch another musical to cheer him up. Their friendship was becoming stronger by the second.


	5. Burt Says Goodbye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmao sorry I've had no motivation to update.

After a fun-filled week of activities with the whole family, it was time for Burt, Finn and Carole to head back to Lima. A bittersweet moment for Burt- leaving his son in a big city was scary, and he was terrified of what life would throw at him. But above all that fear was true admiration. Of all the challenges Kurt had thrown his way, he took them under his stride and he was finally in the school of his dreams, where his dreams would come true. 

Before leaving the Motel, Burt drew a gift out of his bag and gave it to Carole. "A gift for Kurt, hold it while I drive." It was only a small gift, but the thought behind it was enough. The family drove to the dorm halls, where Kurt was waiting at the front, already holding a tissue.

"Oh dad..." Kurt sobbed.

"You've already started crying?!" Burt laughed. "We haven't even said goodbye yet!"

"Shhh dad, I'm emotional." Kurt ran back inside to grab a small box of presents, and he handed one to Finn, one to Carole, and one to Burt. 

Finn opened his gift first, it was a New York Giants jersey, with the number 5 on the back- Finn's number. It also had a picture tucked into the sleeve- a picture of the family when they first met up together for a meal. The smile on Finn's face was unmissable and the hug he gave Kurt was chokingly tight.

Carole decided to open hers next. A smaller box than Finn's, but the gift was still good. It was a bracelet bought from Macy's. She and Kurt talked multiple times about the exquisite selection of jewellery in Macy's and to actually have some in her hands, well, she was happy. Another hug was received by Kurt.

Last, but definitely not least, Burt opened his gift. Kurt knew his dad too well, and he wasn't that sentimental or anything, but he knew what he liked. It was a baseball cap, with red letters spelling 'NYADA'. And Burt was impressed, took off the cap he was wearing and put on the NYADA one. But he felt something under the cap and took it off again, to find a tiny picture that Kurt had been keeping for a special occasion, and just one look at it made Burt tear up. "Oh, Kurt, this is the best."

"What is it darling?" Carole asked, trying to get a peak of the picture.

"When Kurt, his mom and I were younger, we took a trip once to New York City in the winter. It was snowing and we decided to stop off at Central Park to look at all the snow. We sat on a bench and a kind young man took our picture for us. When we visited Central Park yesterday, we sat on that exact bench and we got that picture taken, well Kurt held up the photo that was taken many years ago where his mom was sitting. It's incredible. I can't believe how much you've grown Kurt." Burt sobbed.

"Oh dad... no growing up speeches now. Don't you have a plane to catch?" Kurt looked at his watch. 

"Oh crap. Yeah. But one more gift. For you." Carole gave it to Burt who handed it to his son. He unwrapped it slowly and smiled through his tears.

"Haha dad, this is amazing." Kurt laughed. It was a keyring with Lima, Ohio on it. He reached for his keys to his dorm and slid the keyring on it right away.

"Just so you don't forget us..." Burt said.

"Dad I'd never forget you. Or Lima." Kurt shook his head.

Burt hugged his son the tightest he had ever hugged him. The last hug that he would get from his dad, Kurt embraced it and kept patting his back. "Alright dad do you wanna suffocate me or something?"

"Oh yeah, sorry." Burt wiped his tears. "So, remember the emergency credit card is for emergencies only. Not for Project Runway box-sets okay? I don't want to find those in the bill. Ring me every week, and tell me when your first showcase is! I love you Kurt." Another hug happened.

"I love you too dad." Kurt returned, now in hysterics.

"Oh Kurt I'm gonna miss you and your fashion advice." Carole hugged Kurt.

"See ya brother. If any boys mess you about- call me! I'll straighten them out!" Finn reached his hand for a handshake but Kurt had to hug him. 

Finally, the whole family shared one more hug, which seemed to have lasted forever, but it didn't, and the family, minus Kurt, headed back into the car.

"Bye everyone." Aaron ran out the building.

"Keep him safe Aaron." Burt said.

"Will do, Mr. Hummel." He shook his hand and Burt got into his car.

"Bye guys. I miss you already! Safe flight!" Kurt shouted as the car drove down the road.

Kurt let out a big sigh, but Aaron made sure to console his friend and for the rest of the night, they had a musical karaoke session, taking his mind off the fact his family were no longer in New York. But it was okay, because this was his dream, and he was excited to start college next Monday.


	6. NYU Registration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to focus on Quinn for this chapter. And you'll know why at the end. :)

"Good morning, beautiful." Rachel whispered into Quinn's ear as she was waking up.

"Morning baby." Quinn croaked. 

"I hope you don't mind, I bought you breakfast, so we can eat before you head out for Registration." Rachel pulled the paper bag out her bag and set it on the table, before she sat on Quinn's bed and ripped the duvet off her. "Come on baby. We can cuddle later." 

"Okay fine..." Quinn got out of her bed, complete with the most adorable bedhead (Well, Rachel thought so anyway...) and headed to the bathroom to freshen up. Rachel set the table, she found two mugs and poured coffee into them. She pulled the bagels out of the bag and placed them on the table with a serviette. She looked round Quinn's room and it was beautifully decorated, and one wall was covered from the top to the bottom with pictures, mainly of her and Quinn, and it made Rachel smile.

Quinn returned from the bathroom and her hair was brushed and she had put on some makeup. She opened her closet and got out the outfit she decided to wear and then went back into the bathroom.

"Honey you don't need to be shy." Rachel chuckled.

"Later..." Quinn laughed from the bathroom. She walked out again in her outfit. She was wearing a pink dress, knee high boots and a white cardigan. Before sitting down at the table, she pulled out her jewellery box and put on her special necklace that was given to her by her girlfriend on their one year anniversary. She sat down at the table and they both ate their bagels. 

"You nervous?" Rachel asked, grabbing Quinn's hand.

"Not really. I just want to make a good impression..." She said.

"You will baby. You're the best person in that school. Everyone will love you." She reassured her girlfriend. "Oh, look, if we're gonna get the bus, we have to leave now."

They both stood up and Quinn grabbed her backpack, and looked through it to make sure she had all the important documents she needed, and then she threw it on her back and grabbed her keys from the cabinet. She and Rachel walked out the room, and the door was locked. They walked down the streets holding hands and waited at the bus stop for the next bus to come. 

After the bus ride, they both got off and headed towards the NYU main building. "Baby, I'll be right here when you come back okay? We can go out for a meal." Rachel kissed Quinn and wished her luck. "Remember to breathe okay?"

Quinn walked into the building and was flooded by the noise of anxious new students talking to their professors and checking in to the college. She pulled out her map and worked out she had to go left to the registration desk. She waited nervously in line. 

"Name please." 

"Quinn- I mean Lucy Quinn Fabray." She corrected herself.

"Hi Lucy Quinn, your schedule for today is on this sheet. Make sure to get your ID photograph taken before you go to the classes." The monotone lady at the desk said.

"Thanks." Quinn took the paper and walked over to the photography room. The line was long but she had to do it. It moved fast though, so she was sat on the chair for her photo to be taken in no time. And to her surprise, the ID badge printed out almost instantly after the photo was taken. Oh, the wonders of technology. She was also handed a lanyard which she hung around her neck and then made her way to the auditorium, where a principal talk was going to be held.

The talk was boring but Quinn found out that NYU had a wide range of clubs and societies, and because she was in a new place, maybe she would join a few to find where she sat in the NYU social chain. She didn't want to be the 'popular bitch' like she was at McKinley.

A few introductory talks later, Quinn was walking down a hallway to find her last class registration. She thought she had seen someone familiar, but the thought never really crossed her mind, so she went ahead and handed in her last piece of paperwork into the professor and she sat down at the back of the class. The teacher droned on about the class and to be honest, Quinn wasn't really listening. Her eyes were locked to the person who she thought looked familiar. But that person walked out before Quinn did so she couldn't say hi and ask who they were. Oh well.

Before leaving the campus, Quinn decided to check out the student support building as she really wanted to buckle down and improve her mental health. That someone familiar was also in the line, but they went into the office long before Quinn did, she assumed she wouldn't see them again.

But she did.

"Quinn?!" The familiar person called out when they left the office. Quinn was shaken when she knew who it was.


	7. Quinn's Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short but sweet? Idk what the hell to do next

Quinn's brain finally made the connection between the familiarity of the body and the voice.

"Blaine?" Quinn asked. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Well... I'm in NYU student support, so I think I'm a student here." Blaine stated the obvious.

"Wow, never would have guessed." Quinn rolled her eyes. "I gotta do this. Wait for me after." Quinn carried on waiting in the line for student support, but she didn't realise Blaine had slipped out the building and he disappeared. Maybe that was the last time Quinn would see him. But then she remembered she saw him in her last class. Oh joy.

After a brief meeting with student support, Quinn went back to the main building and out the front door where Rachel was standing. She said hi and they hugged and held hands waiting for the bus. Quinn was debating telling Rachel that she saw Blaine, but she decided to. After all, Kurt was also in the city, and no doubt Blaine was studying Musical Theatre or Acting, so they would cross paths at one point or another.

"How was your day baby?" Rachel asked her when they were sat on the bus.

"It was good, thank you honey. I enrolled in everything, I got my student ID." Quinn explained. 

"Lemme see!" Rachel tried to grab the lanyard. "Awww honey you look beautiful."

"Thanks." She kissed her forehead. "I also signed up for student support. They gave me a meeting spot every week."

"I'm proud of you." Rachel smiled, huddling tighter into Quinn's body. "And... uh I saw someone familiar."

"Well this is NYC Quinn. Who was it?"

"Blaine." Rachel shuddered when she said the name.

"What?!" Rachel jumped out of the cuddle. "Oh my god... We need to tell Kurt."

"If we tell Kurt he would be paranoid." Quinn said.

"But if we don't and Blaine randomly shows up, he'd be annoyed, right?" Rachel asked.

"You make a good point." Quinn reasoned.

"Let's leave it for fate to decide." Rachel suggested. "Let's go back to my room?"

"Sure honey." The girlfriends cuddled each other all the way to Rachel's room, and all throughout the night, they never really moved from the bed. They did plan to go out for dinner that night, but they decided to order in takeout and eat it whilst watching a film. Many conversations were started about NYU: Quinn's classes, the teachers, the clubs and societies, and the events held around the year. However, they soon found themselves talking about Blaine again.

"What if Kurt finds out Blaine's here?" Rachel asked.

"They're not children Rachel. They can survive being in the same city." Quinn laughed.

"But what Blaine did..."

"Yeah it was unforgivable. But sometimes, you have to forgive and forget. Kurt isn't the most forgiving person, but he will." Quinn guessed.

"I have a feeling something might go down between them." She schemed.

"Don't say that Rachel! As Kurt said, he's not ready for dating in the big city." She corrected her.

"Alright alright." Rachel looked at the time. "It's 1:30am. Are you tired?"

"Yeah... too tired to go back to mine." Quinn winked.

"Oh Quinn, you can stay here." Rachel laughed, cuddling Quinn even more. She reached for the light on her side of the bed and switched it off.

"Goodnight baby, I'm so proud of all that you've done today." Rachel whispered, leaning in for a kiss.

"Goodnight Rachel, I love you millions." Quinn whispered.


	8. Flashback to THAT moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is gonna be all over the place. Mentions of anxiety. Woohoo.
> 
> The flashback is inside the hyphens (-) if you get confused.

"Kurt?" Rachel knocked on his dorm door.

"It's open." Aaron called out.

"Hey Aaron, is Kurt here?" Quinn asked, looking around the small room to see him.

"No, he's gone to the shop. He said he won't be long." He nodded. "Sit down on my bed you two."

Quinn and Rachel sat on Aaron's bed and looked round the room, seeing many posters, and the bookshelf was covered with DVDs and CDs. No further conversation happened and they stayed quiet until Kurt arrived back at the dorm.

"Hey Aaron- oh, and Quinn and Rachel! What a surprise!" Kurt startled himself as he entered.

"Hey." Rachel said.

"So, how was registration?" Kurt asked, pulling the shopping out of his satchel.

"Good, but I need to talk to you about that." Quinn said sternly. She signalled Rachel who then asked Aaron to head down to the common room, and they went down, leaving Quinn and Kurt to be alone.

"So I saw someone yesterday." Quinn took a breath. "You're not going to like it."

Kurt was puzzled but he kept listening. 

"I really shouldn't tell you who it was." Quinn admitted. "I don't want to harm you in any way."

"Just say the name Quinn. I can't think of anyone, except one, who would harm me." Kurt tried to search his mind for names that he didn't wan to hear. And there was that one always in the back of his mind. But surely it wasn't him.

But it was.

"I saw Blaine." Quinn spat out, trying not to look Kurt in the eyes because she was terrified of how he'd react.

"Oh." Kurt swallowed, and realising his breath was becoming shorter and shorter. His hands began to shake. His heart was racing. And his mind took him places he never wanted to visit. A flashback to THAT moment.

-Around a week later after the whole 'I love you' and the Hippo Brooch fiasco, Blaine wasn't making an effort to text Kurt back. And he didn't confirm if he and Theo had broken up, so Kurt was constantly on edge about that. He stayed positive though, because he knew the home was strict on phones. Maybe it was broken. Kurt was trying to convince himself that was the case, when at the back of mind he had those terrible thoughts that Blaine forgot about the weekend, and the note, and went back to Theo without telling him he cheated. And that hurt him.

Finally, on the Monday night, Kurt received a text back from Blaine. Trying not to get his hopes up, he took a big deep breath before reading it. He was sat in his bedroom at the time, so he softly spoke the text out-loud.

"Kurt. I do apologise for ignoring you this past week. I know you, and you don't like uncertainty. And I'm sorry. After extensive thinking, and imagining every situation properly, I have decided that I cannot do long distance. I feel like breaking up with Theo will make my mental health worse and will put me in danger. I'm extremely sorry Kurt. I hope we can still be friends." By the end of that message, Kurt was sobbing uncontrollably, and he had typed out 3000 versions of the same message to send back. Would he be passive aggressive? Would he be sympathetic? In the end, he decided to just ignore him. He made the conclusion Blaine loved Theo more than Kurt and that upset him greatly. But people move on. Maybe Kurt would find a new Blaine. A better one. 

Kurt threw off his Hippo Brooch and chucked it in the bottom of his cabinet, never to be looked at again. And he continued to cry, but he rang Quinn to talk to and he started to feel better. But the weight of being broken up again over text hurt. He wouldn't recover for a while.-

"Kurt?" Quinn shouted. "Kurt can you hear me?"

Kurt finally got a grip of his surroundings, but he was very disorientated. All he remembered from the last 10 minutes was being drowned in anxiety, and Quinn calling his name.

"Kurt it's okay. I'm sorry." Quinn sighed.

"It's- fine." Kurt spoke slowly. His mouth was extremely dry, but Quinn knew exactly what to do. She ran down to the kitchen and filled a glass with water and got a straw, so Kurt didn't have to hold the glass and possibly drop it. She also grabbed a cereal bar before running back upstairs. She reassured Rachel and Aaron that he was okay. 

"Drink." Quinn forced Kurt to sip using the straw. Force was essential, or Kurt would be stuck in between attacks for a long time. 

"I'm going to leave you now, please text me when you're feeling better, so I can come back and discuss what we're going to do to keep you safe." Quinn explained. "Keep calm, Kurt."


	9. NYADA Registration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooo I'm so great at consistent updating. This is basically filler because writer's block.

Only a few days after the news breaking that Blaine was in New York, it was time for Rachel, Kurt and Aaron to register at NYADA. They were all a mixture of nervous, excited, and damn right scared, but they all met up with each other just before the doors opened to the main building so they could go in together.

"As soon as we enter this door, we're part of New York history." Rachel sucked in the smoggy New York air.

The trio walked in, getting bombarded with the many people in the same situation as them. There were multiple signs, and every table was labelled with what exactly they had to go there for. Kurt pulled out his schedule and read that he had to go to the dance class, the singing tutor, the singing ensemble, the acting masterclass and finally the principal talk. Rachel and Aaron's schedules were also the same so they decided to stick with each other all day. But first of course, they had to get their ID photos taken. And the line was long.

Waiting in the photo line, the trio saw many teachers and they saw students who were returning for a second, third or fourth year and were just re-registering on the course. Kurt had his photo taken and already deemed it the worst photo ever, Rachel had hers next and she didn't think it was that bad, and lastly Aaron took his and he didn't allow anyone to see it.

Next, they made their way to dance class registration, and it was a fairly young female teacher with long blonde hair talking about the dance classes she would be holding. She was forceful with her words but she wasn't mean. She took a special interest to Rachel who kept chipping in with many dance facts she had studied that summer, so she could have a leg up with the curriculum. Aaron and Kurt just took all the information in and at the end of the lesson, they received their dance class schedules. 

Classes at NYADA were broadly based on abilities. Rachel was placed in the 2nd Dance Class level, and Kurt and Aaron were both placed in the 1st level. Rachel felt a bit left ut, but she was okay with her placement. There was always something to work up to.

A few hours later, Kurt, Aaron and Rachel had visited all the class registrations and the principal talk and they were ready to go home. Rachel rushed off straight away to visit Quin, but Aaron and Kurt stayed behind to look at the clubs that were on offer. 

"So Kurt were you thinking of joining clubs?" Aaron asked, looking at the various posters on the wall. 

"No not straight away. I want to get a hold of my education first, then I'll think about it." Kurt explained.

"I was thinking of joining the A Capella group." Aaron admitted. "They're like NYADA royalty and I don't know, I just want to be part of a team."

"Go for it! A Capella seems fun." Kurt thought out loud.

"Why don't you audition with me?" Aaron had an idea. "We can be in the group together!"

"Yeah, sure." Kurt said, pulling a pen out of his pocket and writing their names down. "It says here auditions are at 4pm on 1st September in the Auditorium."

"Well, we better remember! Looks like there's loads of names already on there." Aaron pointed out.

Aaron and Kurt walked home, talking about NYADA and the whole area around it. They were excited to start the Semester in a week but still nervous. When they got back to the dorms, they ate in the kitchen, caught a movie in the common room and then returned to their room and they each studied their timetable to make sure they memorised it.

-

For the remainder of the week, Kurt, Aaron, Rachel and Quinn spent a lot of time together in the centre of New York exploring the area and all the student hangout places. They found a nice student bar, Callbacks, for NYADA students. Quinn found the student playhouse ran by NYU and a joint one for NYADA and NYU. 

Below all the fun that Kurt had all week, he was still anxious about the news that Blaine was in New York. It didn't stop him completely, but the thought definitely didn't leave him alone. And he knew that eventually the building up and the inevitable discovery of Blaine would be too much for him, so he made a decision.

He was going to reintroduce himself to Blaine. Voluntarily. In the company of Quinn at least. That was a good idea, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very sorry I can't write long chapters lol.


	10. First Days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slightly longer than usual chapter. Got a bit carried away.

The nerves that were brewing around everyone's first days were bubbling right to the surface the night before. Quinn and Rachel slept at Rachel's apartment, and Aaron and Kurt were in their dorms. They all tried to have an early night, but ultimately they were up until the early morning, with their brains racing. They all finally fell asleep and woke up, ready to tackle their first days.

Kurt and Aaron were up with an hour until they were supposed to leave and get to the bus, so they both decided what to wear together. Aaron scanned Kurt's closet and picked out a black shirt with an intricate red detailing, red trousers and of course the Hippo Brooch. Kurt chose a hoodie and jeans for Aaron, and they took a picture of themselves for their Instagram's. 

They went down to the kitchen, which was more busy than usual, to grab cereal. They ate it extremely quickly and rushed out to the bus stop to catch the bus going from the dorm halls to NYADA. On the bus, Kurt and Aaron had a conversation about their first day and their timetable.

"Where do we meet for lunch?" Aaron asked.

"Look," Kurt pointed at the timetable. "Meet me at this place. D1.04? Yeah. Where are you before lunch?"

"I'm in D2.17." Aaron nodded. "Gah, my first lesson without you." 

"It'll be okay!" Kurt hugged him. "Just don't get lost!"

-

Meanwhile, Rachel was getting ready for her first day swiftly, and Quinn was still in bed because her first day was only half a day and it started after lunch. But she promised Rachel she would see her off and wish her the best of luck. And in their case, it was a huge kiss.

"Babyyyyyy..." Rachel shook Quinn awake. "I have to leave now."

"5 more minutes..." Quinn mumbled.

"Quinn I have to go now." Rachel chuckled. "Can I have my kiss?"

"My breath-" Quinn panicked, before her lips were covered in Rachel's, embracing the special moment between them.

"Okay baby I have to catch the bus." Rachel pulled away, with Quinn leaning back in to try and catch her lips again.

"I love you, have fun." Quinn shouted to Rachel as she left the room.

"Make sure to lock up when you leave okay? Good luck honey." Rachel told Quinn.

-

Aaron and Kurt reached NYADA around 10 minutes before Rachel did. They waited in the building, checking the time to make sure they wouldn't be late. Rachel finally arrived and they all headed to their first lesson, singing ensemble. For this lesson they were all in the same class so they were okay at finding their way.

The teacher was a middle-aged man, his hair slightly greyed and sporting a beard. He wore a black t-shirt with a blazer. He was extremely aware of everyone that entered the class and as soon as the bell rang, his ears pricked up and walked immediately to his desk, which had a clipboard on it.

"Welcome everyone." The teacher said. "I'm Mr Treble. And yes, I'm a singing teacher with this last name. I was born with it."

The class looked at each other puzzled before Mr Treble carried on with his introduction speech.

"Our lesson is 90 minutes long, and today I will be organising you into groups of voices and then we will decide the first song to sing. So, we will take the register and then begin our grouping." He explained.

The register took about 5 minutes, because the teacher made everyone raise their hands so he could memorise names. He then made everyone rearrange the chairs into a circle and they all sat down. Mr Treble grabbed his clipboard and clicked his pen.

"First up- you!" Mr Treble pointed to the student next to him. She stood up and introduced herself.

"Hi I'm Mindy St. Claire and I'll be singing a few bars from The Killers' classic song Somebody Told Me." She re-positioned her body and then began singing, and she sang from the first verse to the end of the chorus. The whole class clapped and they went round the circle, listening to everyone sing.

It took a while before it was Kurt’s turn to sing. He was searching his brain for the perfect song to give his vocals some justice, and he came up with the perfect idea. He stood up, introduced himself, and started singing. He chose to sing Not the Boy Next Door from The Boy From Oz, and it was safe to say everyone was surprised. A small boy with a high pitched voice singing that well? A massive round of applause was heard for him.

Next up was Aaron. “Hi, I’m Aaron Tickler, and I’ll be singing You’ll Be Back from Hamilton.” He composed himself and then started singing. He got way too into the moment and had to be interrupted by Mr Treble.

Rachel then had her turn. “Hello I’m Rachel Berry and I’ll be singing Don’t Rain on My Parade from Funny Girl.” Kurt rolled his eyes due to the fact Rachel always sang that song. He was still in awe though after she finished, of the sheer perfection of her voice. 

Around 45 minutes later, everyone had finished and Mr Treble has finished grouping everyone into their voice groups. He decided to not start the song at that point, but talk about the solo singing lessons that were also being supplied at NYADA.

“Now I have heard you all sing, I will pass my notes onto the relevant people and you will all receive a personalised singing tutor who will teach you twice a week, focusing on the development of all your voices. On this piece of paper I’m handing out, please fill out your singing experience and what you’d like to accomplish here at NYADA.” He explained, walking around the room and handing the pieces of paper out.

The whole class filled the sheet out, and then were dismissed as the lesson had only 5 minutes left. 

A shy girl headed up to Rachel. “Um, you sounded really good Rachel. I’m Cara.” She reached her hand out for a handshake.

“Thank you Cara, you’re so kind.” Rachel returned the handshake. “You sounded great.” But really, Rachel couldn’t remember what she sang.

“She has a girlfriend.” Kurt chopped in, interrupting the moment and pulling a Rachel away. “Come on, we’ve got dance.”

Aaron followed behind Rachel and Kurt who were discussing the eccentric Mr Treble. Rachel sectioned off to her changing room and Aaron and Kurt headed into theirs.

In Rachel’s dance class, she was not having a good time.

“Welcome, the not-good-enough’s to Dance 2. I’m Ms July and I will be teaching you dance.” She pointed her cane to every one of the dancers. “Rules here are simple. Don’t talk over me. Don’t talk back. If you dance well in the Mid-Term in 3 weeks, you’ll move up to the top group. You do mediocre, you stay here. You completely fail and fall on your face, you’ll move down to the 3rd group. Simple?” She eyes everyone. “Good. Let’s get started.”

For the lesson, Mrs July kept an eye on Rachel, who was intimidated by her. That didn’t stop Rachel though, as she was determined to do well and move up to the 1st class in 3 weeks time.

-

After their third lesson, Kurt and Aaron met up outside Kurt’s class and they went to the canteen to get a look on the food on offer. Not in awe of anything, they headed out into the street to grab a bite to eat a coffee shop. They ended up going into a Starbucks and getting a meal deal, but still looking at the time to make sure they weren’t late to their 4th lesson, which was acting. They had to go to a different building for the acting classes and they were worried they were going to get lost, so they left with plenty of time to spare. 

They arrived at the building, which just so happened to be the Student Playhouse. They bumped into Quinn, who also had a lesson in there, and said hi. But then it struck Kurt- if Quinn was here, Blaine was. And it scared Kurt.

After a short lesson with the acting tutor, Kurt and Aaron headed out the building to wait for the bus to pull up and take them back to their dorm. The bus was late, and they were both getting uneasy. Kurt was especially on edge due to the possibility of bumping into Blaine, but surely he wouldn’t say hi voluntarily. 

And then a voice shouted: “Kurt?”

Oh crap.


	11. Be Quiet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll do anything to not write angst. Thanks Alana for spurring me on.
> 
> Also there was a timeskip. Thanks :)

A strange room greeted Kurt in the morning, yet it was known to him for reasons he'd not like to ever speak of again. He got out of the different bed, and stumbled over the mess that angered him greatly. He was quiet and headed to the bathroom to freshen up. His hair was a complete mess- the product had been left on the pillow and he couldn't see any product that he could use to fix it. Except gel. But no one could pull off hair-gel in Kurt's eyes. He was unsure if the sound of the toilet flushing would be too loud, so he tried to flush it at softly as possible. It didn't work, but at least he tried, right?

It was 5:30am and Kurt's eyes were still heavy with tiredness, just like yesterday. He didn't get much sleep, due to obvious reasons, and he was wiping his eyes as he walked back into the bedroom, and he accidentally brushed his body against a side-table and he heard a huge crash.

"Crap." He mumbled. Stupid Kurt. That crash seemed loud enough to cause chaos.

And it did.

"It's okay it's okay-" A voice ran quick to Kurt's side. "That side-table was uneven anyway."

Kurt didn't respond. 

"I'll clean it up." The voice assured Kurt who was having none of it. He snatched the dustpan and brush and started cleaning it up himself, before another set appeared. Kurt went to grab a huge shard with his bare hands but was stopped.

"Hey, you'll cut yourself." The voice pulled his hand away sharply, but Kurt flinched.

"Will you leave me alone?" Kurt said forcefully. He got no reply. "Seriously?"

"What have I done?" The voice pleaded.

"What have you done? Are you serious?"" Kurt erupted. "I can't- I can't-"

"You can't what?" He interrupted.

"I can't take you seriously in that state. Put some damn clothes on!" He gestured to the body in front of him, who rushed to the floor to grab a hoodie and shorts.

"Okay. I can take this seriously." Kurt took a breath. "What the hell were we thinking?

"I liked it..." The voice, now clothed, shrugged his shoulders. "Did you...?"

"This didn't mean anything."

He tried to tell himself.

"It meant something to me..." The voice admitted. "And you can't deny the chemistry we have..."

Kurt didn't reply. Instead, he was looking around the room to find his clothes to throw them on and get to college. Really didn't make him good being late for his second day. His phone was still in his trouser pockets and he had like a million missed calls from Aaron throughout the night and from that morning. Guess it felt kinda good to be missed? He shot him a text saying 'I'll explain later' and he put his shoes on, running outside to look as the bus schedule. He supposed he could ask the boy, but, who wanted to talk to him again? The next bus was in 20 minutes. Enough time to get some food from the gas station down the road.

On the bus on the way to NYADA, Kurt drowned his thoughts into his music and tried to not even think of what happened. At least he tried to, anyway.

Unknown to him, the bus actually stopped at the bus stop at Kurt and Aaron's dorm, so Aaron got on the bus, saw Kurt and instantly rushed to him.

"So... you gonna tell me where you were?" Aaron asked. "God, your hair's a mess!"

"I know, don't remind me." Kurt said, embarrassed about the mess on top of his head. 

"Don't change the subject!"

"Okay... I-" Kurt gulped. "Spent the night with someone.."

"With WHO?" Aaron gasped really loudly. The bus all turned to the 2 men. "Oops."

"Don't be so loud!" Kurt hid. "It was uh..."

Aaron motioned his hands for Kurt to continue talking, but he was reluctant too. He started tapping his fingers.

"Blaine." Kurt spat out. "Crap. I hate myself."

"My god." Aaron thought out loud. "Okay, how about we leave this in the bus right? Let's talk about it after college. We've got musical theory today, our minds need to be sharp to remember anything from that!"

"I guess... thanks Aaron.." He said. "You're the best." They hugged.

Kurt was heavily embarrassed by the events that happened last night, but he didn't want to dwell on them at that point in time, so he didn't. He got on with his day as usual and tried to hide those thoughts, ready for a massive conversation back in their dorm room, which he was kind of dreading. Always better to talk about it than to keep it inside though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow that was a mess! Have a good wait for the next chapter because who the hell knows when I'll update next.


	12. Talking About It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm incompetent at writing long chapters sorry. Also I enjoy Kurt describing the angst and not be writing the angst.

"So..." Kurt started.

"Oh, you're ready to talk about it then?" Aaron teased Kurt, winking at him.

"Heyyyy, you said whenever I wanted to!" He protested. 

"Let's be cliché and discuss this over cups of tea." Aaron laughed, pulling out 2 mugs, with the words 'Spill the tea' written all over them.

"Are you kidding?" He laughed.

"I'm prepared for all situations!" He filled up the kettle to boil. "What flavour do you want, Kurt?"

"Oh I think I'll have English Breakfast Tea. Boring I know." Kurt shrugged.

After the tea had finished brewing, the desk chairs were pulled to face each other, but Aaron sat on his bed and patted it to signal Kurt being allowed to sit on the bed. For the first 1 minutes or so, it was mainly silence whilst the tea was cooling down. Their hands were warmer, at least.

"Who came onto who?" Aaron spat out.

"Well, I think we need to back to the beginning. You obviously know what happened with Blaine and I before college." Kurt sighed and started to explain the events that happened the nights before. "And he saw me yesterday outside the playhouse and he said hi to me. I tried to ignore him but you were adamant I had to talk to him."

"Oh, Kurt I'm so sorry about that." He frowned. "Oh my god... I caused this?"

"No, no, no. Aaron you didn't okay? You pushed me to confront my fears." Kurt smiled. "Anyway- he started talking about NYU and whatever and to be honest, I kinda drowned that out. Until he mentioned him."

"Him?" Aaron was confused, before it finally clicked in his mind. "Ohhhhh, him."

"Yep. And I had to ask again what he said. Blaine said he broke up with him about 3 months after because he moved away. Then he wanted to discuss 'us'." Kurt said making quote marks in the air. "He wanted to be civil about it, and I guess I wanted to too, so we went to a cafe, where we talked about it. I stayed pretty quiet and blunt though, and I guess I regret that because that's basically what led to the events later that night."

The boys both sipped their tea and the conversation carried on.

"Blaine suggested I went back to his place, and when there I went off on one. I shouted at him, I guess I just lost it. And I feel awful about it." Kurt shook his head, looking down at the ground.

"What did you say?" Aaron asked.

"I went on about his promise. I said how I didn't wear my Hippo Brooch for a year, but I eventually moved on and decided to wear it. And I said the most awful thing. After talking about how I got over him, I said how I was mad at him, not because I didn't love him." Kurt sighed. "And- that's when it happened."

"Blaine kissed me. I guess it felt good. I'm just really confused about my feelings right now." Kurt admitted. 

"Did you kiss him back?" Aaron leaned in, more eager to know the whole story. 

"What do you think? At first I was shocked and surprised, but it was Blaine. His charm never went away. He was glowing. He was cute. And I kissed back. And it felt amazing" Kurt described his experience even more. "And the kissing got more passionate VERY quickly. We moved to the bed... and I guess it happened."

"Do you regret it?" He asked.

"When I woke up the next morning next to his naked body, I hated myself for it. I was so angry so I tried to get out of there as quickly as possible. I accidentally woke Blaine up before I left, and we had the weirdest conversation. But we didn't actually talk about what happened. I wanted to run away and never see him again." Kurt explained. "But now, talking about it with a person I can trust with my whole life, I guess, I don't really regret it? I've thought about it a lot, and we've got undeniable chemistry. Even Blaine said that. I can't stop thinking about him and his face..."

"You need to text him!" Aaron jumped up, grabbing his phone and throwing it on the bed. "Do you have his number?"

"I never brought myself to delete it." Kurt admitted.

"Do it!" He chanted. 

"What the hell do I say?" He hovered over the contact, giving the phone to Aaron. "You write it."

Aaron took the phone, and typed out a message. "I didn't send it. You send it whenever you want." He looked at the time. "Jeez, it's 7pm! Let's get some dinner."

All through the rest of the night, Kurt couldn't stop thinking about Blaine and the message Aaron had typed out. Laying in his bed, he stared at the message. He must have read through it at least 100 times. As his eyes were getting heavy, he closed the messages app and turned his phone off. He crashed his head onto the pillow and closed his eyes, trying to sleep. But he guessed his mind would keep him up, and sure enough it did.

By the morning, he must have only got 3 hours of sleep, probably less, but luckily on Wednesday's, classes started after lunch, so he wouldn't have a chance to fall asleep in any of the lessons.

Before heading onto the bus to get to NYADA, Kurt felt better about himself, he got some more sleep and he had caffeine running through his veins. Impulsively, he opened the message and pressed send. Quickly after, he switched his phone off and he made himself not turn it back on until he was back at the dorm.

Well, that happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a whole mess but I hope you enjoyed.


	13. Text Messages

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of anxiety featured in this chapter. :)

For the rest of the day, Kurt's mind never wandered off to the thought of Blaine's reply. He was kept way too busy by dance class, and thinking about his solo singing lesson, which he was nervous about. He made sure to drink lots of water before going to his lesson because he didn't want to make a bad impression on his tutor. 

"Hi, is this the room for singing tutorial?" Kurt knocked on the open door.

"Yeah it is. You must be Kurt. I'm Ms Parker, but you can call me Bailey. No strict rules in here!" She smiled, giving a handshake to Kurt. "So I've been reading through your singing audition notes and it sounds like you have a very unique voice?"

"Well before we start the tutoring just tell me a little bit about yourself! It's always nice for me to know more about my students." Bailey said, pulling out a pen and paper. "I'll just write some stuff down, if that's okay with you."

"Okay well hi I'm Kurt Hummel, I'm from Lima in Ohio and I love musical theatre." Kurt nodded. 

"Tell me about your family. I'm your personal tutor and your details will stay confidential between us, unless you're in danger and you need help." She tilted her head as a gesture that she was listening.

"Uh my dad works in a Tyre shop and my step mum is a nurse, my step-brother is at Ohio State with a football scholarship and my best friends are here with me in New York." Kurt added. "And my ex-boyfriend is also here."

"Is that a good thing?" She asked.

"Well not really. But I'm waiting for him to reply to me-" Kurt gasped and stopped talking. "Can we start singing now?"

"Yeah, sure. So here we work on your current talents and make them even better. So, why don't you sing a song that showcases your voice and we'll work from there." Bailey stood up and got a camera out of her bag. "This is for evidence of improvement."

Kurt decided he would sing Rose's Turn from Gypsy, and he stood up, took his jacket off and started singing. He was happy. Singing was his only escape really. Even if his voice wasn't typical of an 18 year old boy, he liked singing and no one could stop him.

Bailey gave Kurt a standing ovation and it looked like she was wiping tears from her face. "Wow, Kurt, you have a special voice. On your file it says you were part of the Glee Club, did you ever have any solo's?"

"Uh well I had one duet but that was it. My director had favourites. And I wasn't one of them." Kurt admitted.

"Well you'd certainly be one of my favourites." She said, piling up her notes. "So, if you have any problems, issues about NYADA, or you just need someone to talk to, please drop me an email, or come visit me. My office hours are 2pm-5pm Monday-Wednesday, but my phone is free at any point in the evening if you just need a chat. I'll see you next week at the same time?" 

"Definitely. Thank you Ms Parker." Kurt smiled, putting his jacket on and walking out the room.

"You can call me Bailey." She shouted.

Kurt was walking down the hall to go and meet Aaron to get the bus home, but he started thinking about Bailey. She was nice. Having a personal tutor was nice, he thought. Maybe this wasn't for every student though? That would give her way too much work. Oh well. It's always great for him to talk to a trusted person about anything. 

As Kurt waited for Aaron, he debated on reading his text messages, but he had some self control to wait until he got back to his dorm. If he needed to cry about it, at least he would be at home. Aaron soon arrived and they made their way to the bus stop.

"So, how is your singing tutor? Mine's kinda crazy." Aaron laughed.

"She's alright actually. She said my voice was amazing." Kurt said.

"Well it is so at least she's right!" Aaron noticed Kurt was nervously twitching. "Hey what's wrong?"

"Nothing..." He said facing away from Aaron.

"It's not nothing, you're shaking Kurt. Are you sure you're okay?" 

"Well I'm just nervous about the text I guess." Kurt admitted.

"You've been worrying about it all day?" Aaron asked. "Give me your phone, I'll read it for you."

"Wait- let's get on the bus first." He insisted.

As soon as they sat down on the bus, Kurt reluctantly pulled his phone out and gave it to Aaron, who opened the messages app. He read it to himself first, took a breath and read it.

TEXT MESSAGE FROM KURT: 'Hi Blaine, we need to talk about what happened. Let's meet at the weekend.' Sent 11:49am, read.  
TEXT MESSAGE FROM BLAINE: 'No thanks. You made it clear it was a mistake. I'm done trying.' Sent 12:05pm.

"O-oh." Kurt stuttered, trying to process what he had just heard in his brain. "H-he said no?"

"I'm sorry buddy." Aaron put the phone in Kurt's pocket and hugged him. "There's plenty more fish in the sea."

And in that moment, sitting on the bus in Aaron's arms, he realised something. He didn't need Blaine, or anyone else. The person who he wanted was always there for him when the bad things happened and had the most comforting hugs. He had the most beautiful face and he was just amazing. 

Kurt wanted Aaron. And that probably wouldn't happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that twist is so cliche.


	14. Just a Crush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you all hate me yet?

It was probably 3am and Kurt was laying awake in his bed staring at the ceiling. He was thinking. He was deep into thought, which of course made him not that bothered about his roommate's snoring. But who could be mad at him? Oh. That's exactly what he's thinking about. His perfectness. His face- his imperfections that made him even more perfect- his voice- his eyes- oh, his eyes. Snap out of it, Kurt. It's just a crush. You remember last time you had a crush? Yeah, didn't go well. Lay off it, get some sleep. The pep talk he gave himself must have worked as his eyes were getting heavier and he finally shut his brain off ready to sleep.

The next morning Kurt woke up still heavy-eyed but to the smell of freshly toasted bread. A little confused by the smell, he sat up, trying not to bang his head on the ceiling whilst wiping his eyes. 

"So I made you breakfast." Aaron put the toast on Kurt's desk. "We don't have college today but I thought we could go shopping. I need some new clothes." 

"Oh my gosh, thank you Aaron for the breakfast! Yeah shopping sounds great." Kurt smiled, getting down off the bunk. He didn't have to make breakfast. He didn't need to go out of his way to prepare something for his roommate- but he did. And that's what really made Kurt fall for him. 

"So, when do you wanna go out?" Aaron asked, eating his breakfast.

"I'm not sure. It's 10am now- how about we meet Quinn and Rachel for a late lunch? 2pm? Then we can do some shopping together." Kurt asked. Maybe having a group would distract him from his awful crush.

"Ooh yeah, that's a good idea. I'll video chat them!" He bounced in excitement, pulling out his phone and face-timing Rachel. "Hey Rach."

"Hi guys! We just woke up." Rachel said, pulling Quinn to the camera. 

"And sometimes the other half is a better morning person..." Quinn grumbled.

"I love you really." Rachel kissed her.

"Guys, we're right here." Kurt shouted, eating his toast.

"Sorry- oh Aaron! Why did you call?" She asked.

"Do you wanna meet up for a late lunch today? Maybe we can have a picnic in Central Park and then do some shopping." He smiled.

"Yeah that sounds good, doesn't it Quinn?" Rachel shoved the camera into her face again.

"Yep sounds wonderful." She gave a thumbs up, trying not to fall asleep.

"Bring your own food, 2pm at the bench! You know which one." Kurt chipped in. 

"Okay we'll see you then." Rachel hung up.

Well, a picnic wasn't such a bad idea. Then Kurt realised it was a romantic date- with a couple. And Kurt and Aaron would be third wheeling. Oh well! As long as he didn't talk about Aaron it would be fine, right?

"We don't have any picnic food." Kurt stated.

"I'll go out-" Aaron offered, before being interrupted.

"No, I'll go out okay? You said you've got an assignment? Do that." Kurt insisted, before throwing on an oversized hoodie, joggers and his shoes before heading out into the city to do some shopping.

He stopped off at the local 7/11 to get some supplies. Just bottled drinks, sandwiches, chips, etc. He didn't want to make a big deal and buy romantic food, but of course he wanted to make an effort. God, he hated having this crush. But it would pass soon, right?

-

The group were sitting at the picnic bench, admiring the early autumn scenery around them whilst eating a selection of food that was brought by Kurt and Rachel. Rachel and Quinn were acting like a cute couple. Well, they were anyway. Even more than usual though, they fed each other at some points, and the staring into each others eyes was more intense than usual. Oh well. This wasn't making Kurt feel lonely, nope. Definitely wasn't making Kurt want Aaron even more. It's fine! It's just a crush!

"We have an announcement." Rachel said, grabbing Quinn's hand. Oh god, Kurt thought this was an engagement announcement or something. Way to make him feel even more lonely.

"We're moving in together!" Quinn announced, excitedly!

"That's amazing guys! So happy for you!" Aaron expressed his happiness.

"Didn't you say you needed time apart?" Kurt questioned the decision.

"Well, yeah, but we're at different colleges. That's plenty of time apart. We spend every night at either mine or her's anyway." Rachel explained.

"Well, congrats I guess." Kurt said with less excitement than Aaron.

"You alright?" Aaron and Quinn said at the same time.

"Yeah I'm fine." He said bluntly.

"So where are we shopping then?" Rachel changed the conversation.

"Omg let's go to Macy's!" Aaron squealed.

"Sounds perfect! Let's go now?" Quinn sugessted.

"You know what? I'm just gonna go home. I don't feel like shopping today. I'm pretty tired, I'll take a nap or whatever. See you later." Kurt got up and left.

"You guys, he's not okay. He wouldn't refuse shopping!" Rachel stated.

"Way to point out the obvious!" Quinn teased her. "He obviously wants to be alone. Let's leave him alone okay? Aaron let's go do some shopping." 

-

In Macy's, Aaron, Rachel and Quinn were ready to pay for their clothes until Aaron had a spook.

"Guys, guys, guys guys..." He freaked out.

"What..." Quinn said enthusiastically.

"Cute boy alert. Cashier 3!" He spoke. "Please help I can't talk to boys!"

"You think he's cute...?" Quinn laughed.

"Honey you're a lesbian." Rachel chuckled.

The trio lined up for the cash registers and Aaron kept a special eye on the cute boy at register 3. He kept looking until he was at the front of the line, and was being called to be served. By the number 3 boy.

"Oh- thanks." He said nervously, handing his shopping to the boy.

"One second please, sir." The cashier went under the desk with the receipt, before handing it back to him in the bag. Aaron was confused, but didn't question it. 

Once they got out the shop, Aaron pulled out the receipt and his eyes widened. "I saw you- call me." He read out. "He gave me his number!"

"Heh that's great Aaron. We've gotta go now. But good outing, hope Kurt's okay." Rachel said.

"Yeah I'll talk to him when I get back. Thanks for the good day guys." He thanked them both, hugging and then walking away with his massive shopping bag.

-

Back at the dorm, Kurt was sitting on his laptop typing out a script for his coursework and sobbing. He didn't really know why but he hated himself for it. He heard the key turn in the door so he wiped his tears quickly and pretended he was fine.

"Hi, how was shopping?" Kurt asked.

"It was good- I bought you something." Aaron rummaged through his bag and got a shirt out.

"Oh thanks Aaron, I appreciate it." Kurt said.

"Also... a cute guy gave me his number!" He flashed the receipt with the marker on it. "Isn't that great?!"

"Yeah, so great." He said bluntly.

Aaron wheeled his chair to Kurt's. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Kurt was trying not to have eye contact with the perfect eyes.

"You know you can talk to me about anything right?" Aaron tilted his head.

"Yeah, thanks." Kurt forced a smile.

Except- Kurt couldn't about this problem. Because it involved him. And now Aaron had a date, not with Kurt. And that hurt him even more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the longness.


	15. Go With the Flow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me updating? Wow this is a rarity.

As much as he wanted to just sink into the ground forever and never return to the over-world, Kurt really hated moping around. He was speaking in blunt sentences and his lack of effort at college was showing. So one morning he decided he had enough of being miserable and changed his demeanour. Even if he had a crush which probably wasn't going to advance to anything else, he was going to support said crush with anything, even if it was an incoming date.

"Morning Aaron!" Kurt slid down his ladder and jumped.

"Wow, you seem chipper this morning." He said, surprised.

"Well, you know what today is! It's your date with cashier 3 guy!" Kurt exclaimed. Okay- maybe he was being a bit too extra about it. And he couldn't remember the guy's name.

"You mean Sebastian?" He asked.

"Yeah! I meant Sebastian." Kurt rubbed his eyes.

"Well I'm not going until 7pm. Quinn and Rachel move in together today, I think we should go help them out." He suggested.

"That's a great idea." He agreed. "But first, I need to buy them a housewarming present."

Kurt slipped on a hoodie and jacket and headed out to the local shop down the road. As he walked, he thought long and hard about what to get Quinn and Rachel. He wanted to get them something not too sentimental, but not something too silly. He was only going to a corner shop, so it's not like he was going to find anything good in there.

A few doors down from the shop, there was a flower stall which sold bunches of flowers for a quite cheap price. Ultimately, Kurt decided to buy them a bunch of flowers and then a quick gift from the shop. In the shop, he found a pair of matching key-rings, which he thought would be a great idea. He also picked up a card.

-

As Aaron and Kurt got to the apartment building where Quinn and Rachel were moving in, Aaron's phone buzzed. He checked it, only to be a confirmation text from Sebastian. Aaron announced that and made Kurt squirm a little, but nothing would try and bring his mood down. 

"Hey guys welcome to our apartment!" Rachel opened the door and greeted the boys. "Let's give you the grand tour."

They walked round the apartment, which wasn't too bad actually. It had a small kitchen and dining room with a couch at the side, and another room being the bedroom, which doubled as a study space. The bathroom acted as an ensuite. 

"We got you something." Aaron signalled Kurt to hand over the flowers.

"It's nothing big or anything... but you know. It's a big first step for both of you!" 

Quinn opened the card, and the key-rings fell out of it. She looked at the key-rings and smiled."Thank you Kurt, these are amazing."

"The flowers are so nice guys." Rachel immediately pulled out a vase, filled it with water, and placed it on the top of the table with the flowers inside.

"So, when's the party?" Aaron asked.

"We're not going to have a 'party' as such. Just a small gathering with out closest friends. We'll order pizza and watch movies and have fun." Quinn smiled whilst explaining.

"Well those close friends will have a good time then..." Kurt suggested.

"Oh Kurt don't be silly. You guys are our close friends!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Oh, thank god!" Kurt said. "I'd be jealous if you had any more friends."

After their discussion, Aaron and Kurt decided to help unpack the rest of the boxes. They asked many questions to Rachel and Quinn who then said where to put everything. Their little apartment was definitely feeling like a home to them. They were so much more happier in there and their relationship was definitely ready to flourish.

"What do you say, do you guys wanna check out the takeout down the road?" Rachel asked.

Aaron looked at his watch and his eyes widened. "Oh guys I gotta go get ready for my date!"

"Who's the lucky guy?" Quinn asked.

"Sebastian. Cashier 3 guy."

"Ohhh." Both girls sighed. "Have fun!"

"Kurt are you coming home?" Aaron asked, not approaching the door.

"Yeah. I've got work to do."

"Okay, we'll see you guys soon." Quinn said.

"Congrats on the new house." Kurt said and hugged both the girls. "Byeeeeee."

As they walked out, Kurt couldn't stop thinking about how proud he was about Quinn and Rachel's relationship. He could vividly remember when it was just a crush, the stares from across the room, the abuse hurled because of complicated feelings, and now they were living together in New York. It really made Kurt want the same. Oh, how wonderful it would have been if it had worked out between Blaine and him. But that wasn't meant to be. It hurt a lot, but maybe it was finally time for Kurt to stop worrying about boys. His education is what mattered most at that point in time.

-

Aaron slipped back into the dorm at 11:30pm, Kurt staring at the bright computer screen.

"Oh hey, how was your date?" He asked, turning away from the screen.

"It was good. We clicked fairly well actually. He- Oh, right. You don't wanna hear about it." Aaron shook his head, taking his coat off.

"If it makes you happy, we can talk about him." Kurt smiled, sitting on Aaron's bed and tapping it, signalling him to sit on it.

"Okay-" Aaron took a breath and explained every little detail. Kurt didn't listen really, but he wanted to look like he was going to be there for his friend. Even if this crush wasn't going to go away for a while, he could at least support his friend. And seeing him happy made Kurt happy. So really it was a win-win situation.


	16. Practising for the Showcase

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So um, hi AHAHAH. It’s been 4 months, yes. I had a great plan for this fic and I don’t actually remember what I was going to do. Write down your plans! So for the readers that are still here, thank you for coming back! I hope that you enjoy ahahahahah

2 months had passed and NYADA was getting ready for it’s annual winter showcase. Kurt, Rachel and Aaron had been assigned the musical numbers they were doing, and since they were all Freshmans, they were all doing musical numbers from the same show: Newsies. Rachel was annoyed she wasn’t chosen to sing Watch What Happens, but was happy for Kurt, who was chosen to sing Letter From the Refuge. He was surprised that he was chosen to sing the heartfelt ballad from the show, and he was so scared about it. But he remembered Burt and Carole would fly to New York to see him perform, so the prospect of seeing his family again calmed his nerves a bit.

As for Aaron, he was chosen as one of the featured dancers and singers in Seize the Day and King of New York. He was a good dancer and being chosen for these musical numbers proved that point even more. The rest of the Freshman cohort, along with those who weren’t featured in any of the main dancers would be belting out the showstopper, Once and for All to close the Freshman show off. 

The school had gone completely into rehearsal mode for the show. Their regularly scheduled dance class had turned into practice for Seize the Day and King of new York, and the scheduled singing ensemble lessons were all turned into practice for Once and for All. Kurt’s singing tutor lessons were mainly him learning the words to Letter From the Refuge and trying to put the right emotions into the song.

“Good morning Kurt!” Bailey said as she saw her student enter the classroom. “You got the lyrics memorised yet?” 

“I think so...” Kurt searches his brain to see if he had forgotten any of the words.

“Okay, let’s warm up and then sing.” She sat down at the piano and they completed their warmup, so Kurt’s voice was ready to sing the song properly. It consisted of scales, singing harmonies over melodies, and tongue twisters.

After around 20 minutes, Kurt was ready to sing the song.

“When you’re ready.” Bailey said, scanning the sheet music so she could start playing once Kurt sang the first line.

“Dear Jack,” Kurt began the song. “Greetings from the Refuge...” He sang the song to the best of his abilities and it’s safe to say he and his singing tutor was very impressed by the improvements that were made to the song since last week.

“Wow, Kurt.” Bailey was almost speechless. “You have improved so much, don’t you know that?”

“Thanks miss.” He blushed and smiled.

“Seriously, your diction is so much better and apart from that one slip up that you noticed, you’ve completely memorised the lyrics! I’m so proud of you.”

“Yeah, just that bit in the middle. But I’m getting there...” He remembered the small mistake that he made whilst singing the song.

“You’re there.” She smiled. “The showcase is in 2 weeks! Are your family coming? Dad, step mom, step brother?”

“I haven’t asked them yet, but I don’t think Finn is able to come because of his college and the rigorous football schedule he’s on. But I hope at least my dad can come. He’s so excited to see me perform.”

“I’d be excited to see you perform!” She gasped.

“Heyyyyy, stop it.” Kurt blushed.

"Let's sing it again. Gotta iron out the finer details. In our lesson next week, we'll be practising in the auditorium to get a feel for the stage." She reset her sheet music and waited for Kurt to start the song again. For the rest of the lesson, he kept singing the song to make sure that all the small imperfections were ironed out.

-

"How was singing today Kurt?" Aaron asked as he left his dance class.

"Very good, yeah. Finally memorised the whole song." Kurt explained.

"That's great!" He smiled. "We're just about to start the last verse of King of New York actually..."

"Jeez, you haven't finished learning your routines yet?" He questioned in a confused voice.

"No, Seize the Day has that huge dance break and Mr. Smith wanted to make sure we all knew our specific moves and stuff. But King of New York has been slightly easier to learn since we're not flipping about every 3 seconds. Found out today that I get to sing JoJo's part as well!" Aaron explained.

"Who's JoJo again...?"

"A solid gold watch with a chain to twirl it! That's what he sings." He sang. "Oh, how about we watch the Newsies proshot tonight, huh? You'll be able to get a better feel for Letter from the Refuge too."

"I have to call my dad tonight and ask him if he wants to come to the showcase, but if we have enough time we can watch it after!" Kurt said.

"Alright. Let's get lunch? Something light though, I have dance again after Lunch. What do you have?"

"I have a free period actually. Would have dance but those classes have been suspended whilst you guys practice your dances. I was thinking about practising my lines for Once and for All-" He was explaining what he was going to do before being interrupted by Aaron.

"Come and watch the lesson! Mr Smith doesn't mind, as long as you're not interrupting the lesson, it's fine." He clapped.

"You sure?" Kurt asked shyly.

"Of course, yeah! I'd love for you to see the routines so far." He exclaimed.

"Well, I guess that's sorted then." Kurt said.

The boys walked to the canteen to grab a sandwich each and ate it in the courtyard. They talked about their days and both expressed their excitement for the showcase and talked about how excited they were to see the rest of the school perform their pieces. Rachel soon joined them on the bench they were sitting at and she kept droning on about her not getting the Watch What Happens solo, but the boys kept reassuring her that she'll get a better solo in the summer showcase, which she hoped would happen. 

About 20 minutes after, they had to get to their lessons, so Rachel headed in one direction whereas Kurt and Aaron went in the opposite direction back to the dance block. Aaron walked back into the changing rooms so that he could change into his dance kit and his tap shoes, and Kurt sat at the back of the room to watch them all perform. The class had a quick warm up and then began dancing and singing. They were all having a great time and Kurt was constantly drawn to Aaron who had a smile on his face tapping his way through the song. The crush he had on his roommate had mostly faded due to the logistics of Aaron having a boyfriend at that point in time. By the time he had broken up with Sebastian, the crush had faded so there was no need to ask him out. And anyway, going out with his roommate did seem like a weird concept to Kurt, so thank god his feelings actually faded for once.

As soon as the class ended, it was the end of the day for both of them, so they walked home and relaxed for an hour, before Kurt was ready to ring his dad.

"Send the link for the tickets to your family." Kurt said to Aaron who was sitting at his desk, typing up an essay.

"You really think they'll come?" Aaron asked.

"I mean, I don't know. But you never know if you don't ask them." He explained.

"Okay, I'll send it." He picked up his phone, found his dad's contact, and sent the link. "Sent."

"Good!" Kurt clapped. "Let me ring my dad now." He picked up his laptop and clicked on his contact and it started ringing. It rang for a while. Maybe Burt was working. Luckily, he picked up and Kurt and Burt had a chat before Kurt brought up the NYADA showcase.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here’s to me updating again after this. I wouldn’t count on it, this random burst of motivation might be the only burst of motivation to finish this fic, but I'm trying to write the next chapter as soon as this one has been published, so who knows, maybe you'll get an update sooner than you think! Thanks for reading, hopefully I'll see you soon. Please comment if you're still reading after a 4 month break!


	17. Conversation with Dad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I'm back so soon! Motivation has not faded. This chapter will be shorter, but I wanted to prolong the story so I had a lot to write about! Thanks for coming back to this story, I really appreciate it.

"Hey dad," Kurt started another conversation after Burt talked about the Tire shop business as usual. "I wanted to talk to you about something..."

"What is it son?" Burt asked with a little concern in his voice.

"Oh, nothing bad, calm down!" He said. "So every winter NYADA does a showcase of everyone in the school and what we've learnt. We each get assigned a musical and we sing and dance to some songs from it."

"That sounds cool!" Burt nodded.

"Freshmans got assigned Newsies, and there are only 4 solos in the show. I got given one of them-" He explained more.

"You got a solo?! That's huge!" Burt interrupted and turned away from the camera. "You hear that honey? Kurt got a solo in the winter showcase!" He said to Carole who was sat in the Kitchen.

"That's great! Say congrats from me!" Carole said, and Burt turned round and repeated the same phrase, which made Kurt laugh.

"When's the show?" Burt asked.

"It's Thursday, 12th December. I have the ticket link if you want it." Kurt said, and as soon as he said the date, Burt's face dropped. "What is it, dad?"

"Kurt, I love you." He said in a very specific tone that Kurt picked up on.

"Dad... what's the bad news? You only say that phrase in that tone when there's something wrong." He admitted.

"Well, you see," He stuttered on his words to try and find the right way to say what he was going to.

"Just say it dad." Kurt snapped.

"We can't come." He sighed. Kurt felt his heart drop and Aaron heard him say that and also felt sad for Kurt.

"Why...?" His mood was instantly changed.

"Well, first of all, there's two weeks until the show. We can't afford to fly this last minute, plus, Finn's got a pretty important football game the next day-" He explained why he couldn't come but Kurt interrupted in anger.

"You'd rather see your step-son play football than watch your son perform? You promised you'd come dad." He cried angrily.

"I know son, you don't know how bad I feel. If you told us earlier, we might have been able to come." Burt sighed again.

"You're blaming me for this?" He said through gritted teeth.

"No, Kurt, calm down. I'm sorry, I really am. But your next performance, we'll be there. Both of us. Plus, you're coming home for Christmas soon anyway, you'll see us in a week!" He tried to make Kurt happy again, but he wasn't having any of it.

"Mhm." He was being slightly passive aggressive, which his dad did pick up on. For the reminder of the call, Burt kept apologising but Kurt wasn't really co-operating. Theit conversation came to an end so Kurt ended the call. He got up out of his chair and climbed up to his bed and sat there for a while, not saying anything. Aaron did notice he was sad, but he did know his roommate well enough to know that he didn't really want to talk about it at that point, so he left him alone.

Around 20 minutes later, Aaron had finished typing up his essay so he asked Kurt if he wanted to get a takeaway or something to cheer him up. They decided on getting a pizza delivered to their dorm as neither boys felt like leaving the room. After 40 minutes, the pizza arrived via UberEats and Aaron placed it on his bed, along with his laptop, which had just been loaded up to watch the Newsies Proshot. Kurt came down from his bed to sit on Aaron's bed and they sat there for the next 2 hours eating pizza and watching Newsies and singing. 

"Well, that was fun, eh?" Aaron said, as soon as the film ended.

"Very fun." Kurt said. "Thank you for cheering me up, I really appreciate it."

"Do you wanna talk about what happened?" He asked.

"No, not particularly, Just want to go to bed, to be honest." He got up and picked up his wash bag to walk to the bathroom. "But thank you, you're the best."

"It's okay." Aaron smiled and watched his roommate walk out the room. He closed his laptop and threw the pizza box away and got changed into his pyjamas. Kurt walked back into the room and changed into his pyjamas and got straight into bed. As he put his head on his pillow, he started thinking about what had gone down on the call to his dad. Was he angry that he couldn't come to the showcase? Yes, definitely. But there was a silver lining: when he came to the next showcase in the summer, he would have improved a lot, and the standards would be much higher as more time would have been spent fine-tuning each act. The thought of Kurt's dad seeing him perform at his best made him a little bit happier, and that thought sent him happily to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voluntarily wrote angst, I think I'm okay. Thanks for reading. Sorry it's a bit messy :(


End file.
